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Coconuts Willy's Waikiki will reopen Friday night in the Kapiolani Boulevard building that was once the Hard Rock Cafe Honolulu, seen here in this 2007 file photo. The Hard Rock Cafe relocated to 280 Beachwalk in Waikiki about two years ago.

Coconut Willy’s Waikiki is set to open Friday night after a little more than a one-year hiatus that included a move to the former Hard Rock Cafe building on Kapiolani Boulevard near the Hawaii Convention Center.

Owner David Kenney had planned to reopen the restaurant in December, but he told me Friday morning that he didn’t realize it was going to take four months to get the liquor license, and he faced delays in the permitting process, as well.

Kenney got the liquor license this week, as well as the other necessary permitting secured, and is putting the finishing touches on the restaurant in preparation for a 6 p.m. opening.

“We’re dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s,” Kenney said. “It’s not perfect yet, we’ve still got some stuff to do, but that’s the reason you have a soft opening, is so you can refine it.”

Coconut Willy’s Waikiki will have a grand opening celebration in two weeks, on May 10.

Kenney said he invested between $275,000 and $300,000 into the new location, which is a hybrid of a tiki bar, outdoor bar, beer garden, sports bar and night club.

“We’ve got something that fits everybody’s needs,” he said.

Coconut Willy’s was located in the International Marketplace in Waikiki for 18 years. It then moved to Lewers Street, where it operated for four years before closing last February.

Kenney is subleasing the space at 1837 Kapiolani Blvd. from Hard Rock International, which holds the lease until 2016. Hard Rock Cafe Honolulu relocated to 280 Beachwalk in Waikiki about two years ago.

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